Extra living space : 50 remodeling and decoration ideas to do yourself

extra
living

50 REMODELING AND
DECORATING IDEAS
TO DO YOURSELF

1

LOOK UP
CONVERT .. ^

. ENCLOSE
LOOK AROUND

LOOK

ADD ON
DOWN

How to get
more living space
and do it
economically

Extra bedrooms for the children . . .

More space for the family to relax, have fun . . .
A comfortable place for Mother to enjoy privacy . . .

More room for carefree entertaining

COPYRIGHT 1958, ARMSTRONG CORK COMPANY, LANCASTER. PA.

There's hardly a family that hasn't been faced with the need for more living
space at one time or another. So, if that's your problem, too, don't think it's
anything unusual. Fact is, you can take encouragement from the way many
other families have gained extra living space — right in and around the
homes in which they were already living. Many of these ideas are contained
in the pages of this book. It's filled with suggestions that you can put to use
in your own home.

Whatever the reason may be for needing extra space in your home, there
are plenty of ways to get it through remodeling. Perhaps you can make
more efficient use of space you already have. Or you may be able to expand
your living space into other areas, creating completely new rooms.

For any major construction, such as framing in a new roof area or an
exterior wall, it will probably be wise to call in an experienced carpenter
or builder. After he has done the heavy work, you can take over the less
critical jobs yourself. This would be the work involved with the finishing of
interior walls, ceilings, and floors. You'll not only save money with this plan
of operation but also get a lot of satisfaction from doing the work yourself.

One of the best ways to save money in your remodeling is to select one of
the Armstrong do-it-yourself floors and put it down yourself. These flooring
materials are low in cost and are made especially for the home handyman to
handle. These beautiful resilient tile floors are available in a variety of
handsome stylings and lovely colors. Your flooring dealer will be glad to
show you samples of the actual materials. He will also tell you how to go
about putting down your floors and how to create interesting design effects.

As you go through this book, you will see Annstrong floors that can be
used anywhere in your home, upstairs or in tlie basement, and that will
do exactly the job you have in mind.

Here's where to look J
for extra living space |

LOOK boWN

A basement can be a gold mine
of extra space. It can be con-
verted into a bright, airy room
simply by painting the walls
and using cheerful colors in
Armstrong do-it-yourself floors.
Or it may be decorated as elab-
orately as you desire.

• LOOK U>

•

The attic offers a wonderful area
for expansion — new bedrooms
for the children, a room for
fauiily hobbies, an apartment for
Nh)ther. Whatever you do with
your attic, you can keep costs
low by putting down a smart
Armstrong floor yourself.

LOOK AROUND

Perhaps you have a dining room
that sees service only one hour
a day. By remodeling it, you can
make this room serve as a fam-
ily room, too- — and it will work
for you all day long. Busy multi-
purpose rooms need the prac-
ticality of Armstrong floors.

..CONVERT .

You can make an attached ga-
rage or enclosed porch part of
your home's interior. Because
these areas have siibfloor, walls,
and roof, remodeling needn't be
costly. And many Armstrong do-
it-yourself floors go right down
over concrete slabs.

*

Get extra space by enclosing a
breezeway, patio, or open porch.
Keep the new area from looking
like a separate part of the house
by blending its colors widi the
established color scheme. Choose
harmonizing colors in Arm-
strong do-it-yourself floors.

\ ENCLOSE i

ft •

ADD On\

This is a more expensive way to
gain extra space, but it gives
you the most freedom. ^Vhethe^
you do the construction yourself,
or have a builder do it, you can
save with an Armstrong do-it-
yourself floor.

/ .••'

LOOK

DO^VN

full-

and discover space for a
fledged recreation room

Having a basement room where the family can relax or entertain friends makes
the entire house seem larger. It reduces wear and tear on the living room, too.
Many successful recreation rooms have a special decorative theme — such as,
"Western," "Nautical," or "Pennsylvania Dutch." You don't have to be an expert
decorator to bring off a handsome decorative tlienie. Choose a design in Armstrong
do-it-yourself floors (or create your own special design) that will serve as the
foundation for your theme. You'll find this will help you achieve just the effect
you have in mind. Before you actually begin to remodel, you should also plan to
build in a few features such as swinging cafe doors, portholes, or whatever you
need to establish the theme. They'll add an authentic touch to the decorative
atmosphere of yoiu* room.

IDEAS IN THIS ''WESTERN BASEMENT"

FLOOR — Armstrong Excelon Tile in Corkstyle design No. 798 with cattle-brand in-
sets helps establish "Western" theme. Spilled food, liquids, even grease splatters won't
harm this floor, are easily whisked away. • "WALLS — Armstrong Temboard in a
swirl j)attern — surface painted white and rubbed with a gray glaze for rustic, weathered
look. • ACOUSTICAL CEILING — Armstrong Full Random Cushiontone — a perfo-
rated ceiling tile soaks up party noises, easy to put up yourself. • BAR — simple, wood
construction — covered with Armstrong Vinyl Plastic Surfacing, a flexible material that's
very easy to instafl. Resists stains, easy to clean. • COPPER HOOD — over the brazier,
connected to main chimney. • OLD PLAYER PIANO — coat of paint helped blend it
with room's decorative scheme. • HANGING GAS LAMPS — add to authenticity of
room's "Western" atmosphere, electrified for better lighting.

Handy Tip for
do-it-yourselfers

To get the best appearance from your
new floor, make sine concrete sub-
floors are smooth. Yon can eliminate
cracks and joint lines by apph'ing
Armstrong Crack Filler. It's inex-
pensive and is sold by flooring stores.

You can install Armstrong Excelon
Tile with only scissors and brush for
tools. Your flooring dealer can get
these smart cattle-brand insets for
you — ready-made — from the factor)'.

LOOK

DOWN

. . . and find space for a
big new bedroom

There's no rule that says basements can be made over only into recreation rooms.
If you need an extra bedroom, turn your old bedroom over to the children and
build yourself a big, luxurious new bedroom down in the basement. It's so easy
to make a basement cheerful and livable. You can put down a colorful Armstrong
do-it-yourself floor right over the concrete— and what a difference that will make!
You can make the ceiling look beautiful, too, by putting up an Armstrong Cush-
iontone Ceiling yourself. And if you have supporting posts to contend with, you
can camouflage them by building right around them. Don't be afraid to use your
imagination l^ecause you can make your most fanciful ideas work with careful
planning before you begin.

IDEAS IN THIS MASTER BEDROOM

FLOOR — Armstrong Asphalt Tile, Style No. C-971, richly grained Woodtone styling,
A simple kit containing the tools needed for installing Armstrong Asphalt Tile can be ob-
tained from flooring dealers for about $1.50. This is one of the lowest cost floors you can
buy and is remarkably practical. • PATIO — a plus possibility when one basement
wall is exposed or ground can be re-graded and drained — sliding glass doors provide
airy, open look. • HORIZONTAL >A^lNDO>VS — run length of wall, an attractive
basement feature that increases natural light in the room. • CURTAINS — hung ceil-
ing to floor at patio end of room, add style, privacy, and make the ceiling seem higher.
• "INTER-COIVI" CONTROL PANEL — solves problem of communication with
other rooms in the house. • COLOR SCHEME — light colors in the walls and win-
dow draperies and sky-blue ceiling add to cheerful atmosphere.

Handy Tip for
do-it-yourselfers

To finish your basement walls, nail
l"x2" tuning strips to foundation
walls and apply wall-finishing mate-
rial. The air space created in this
manner helps disperse moisttue, but
it is a good idea to paint the backs of
finishing panels to prevent warping.

Space and opportunity are waiting in
most old basements like this. You can
have a usefid and beautiful new room
with imaginative decorating and a
new fioor of Armstrong Asi^lialt Tile,

tl^ook UF* •

. . . and have an efficiency
apartment in the attic

In tlie past ten years, more and more growing families have been growing right
into their attics. The attic has come into its own as a wonderfully versatile and
very practical part of the house. If you have a good-sized attic, you can make
it over into two bedrooms and a liaLf-bath, into a large den-guest room, even into
a family-activities area. Perhaps you bought your home with much of the attic
already "roughed in" by the builder. In that case, all you have to do is put in
utilities (or arrange to have an electrician and plumber install them), finish the
walls and ceiling, and put down an Armstrong floor yourself. Any of the Annstrong
do-it-yourself floors may be used in the attic. If you base the colors of walls, fur-
nishings and accessories on the Armstrong floor you choose, your attic can be
every bit as good looking as the downstairs rooms.

IDEAS IN THIS ATTIC APARTMENT

FLOOR — AiTnstrong Cork Tile — very quiet and comfortable underfoot. The 3/32" gauge
in Armstrong Cork Tile is easy to put down, its smooth surface requires very little care.

• >VI N DO>A/ — part of end wall was re-built to make the dramatic peaked window — keeps
the whole apartment bright all day. • FIREPLACE — free-standing metal fireplace was
attached to main chimney rising through attic. • BEDS — serve as sofas during the day,
beds at night — placed against the chimney to eliminate need for additional headboards.

• BOOKCASES — built floor to ceiling, add gracious livability to "complete apart-
ment" effect. • COUNTER — built in with range and sink, see floor plan at right.

Handy Tip for
do-it-yourselfers

Adding a new fireplace in an attic
room is easy. Clioose one of the free-
standing types and run tlie smoke-
ptpu to an existintf eliininey flue.
Break into flue with a chisel or star
drill, seal pipe with asbestos cement.

Floor plan shows how bath-dressing
room and light cooking units can be
worked into remodeled attic space
along with general lounging and liv-
ing area. This arrangement provides
complete guest-apartment facilities.

LOW-COST, DO-IT-YOURSELF

EXCELON VINYL-ASBESTOS TILE

This is the easiest of all
floors to install, even if
j'ou've never put down a
floor before. All the tools
you need are scissors to
shape tiles for room edges
and for custom designs,
and a brush to apply ad-
hesive. Excelon Tile can
be used anywhere, even in
the basement. It is dur-
able, and so easv to clean.

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Spaiter 735

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Designers Series 762

Slraight Grain 777

CORK

You will be pleasantly sur-
prised at the new low cost
of this floor. Armstrong
Cork Tile in 3/32" and
1/8" gauges is for easy do-
it-yourself installation,
even on grade-level con-
crete slabs, if instructions
are carefully followed.
Custom Vinyl Cork Tile
combines cork's beaut\
with vinyls durability.

Mocha Tan 41 0, '/g "

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THESE FLOORS ARE EASY TO PUT DO^A/^N

You don't need to be an experienced craftsman to put
down an Armstrong do-it-yourself floor. All of the floors
shown here have been developed with the home handy-
man in mind. They're as easy to handle as a set of blocks.
And that's just what they are — easy-to-handle blocks of
floor tile that go into place alongside of each other — in any
combination of colors or designs you prefer. All you do is
square ofl your room with chalk lines, spread the recom-
mended adhesive, and lay the tiles one by one. Your
flooring dealer will be glad to supply you with simple
step-by-step directions, cutting shears or knives and ad-
hesive spreaders to help make the job easy.

Armstrong Linoleum Tile
is one of the lowest cost
floors you can buy. It
comes in many designs and
colors. The "Parquet" de-
sign in the exclusive 6" x
12" size lets you create lots
of new and difterent cus-
tom effects that you
couldn't create with 9" x
9" tiles. Use Linoleum Tile
above grade only.

LINOLEUM

Decoray 1 806

10

(AVmstrong floors

Here are just a few of the many beautiful designs

and colors available in Armstrong do -it-yourself floors.

Your flooring dealer has many others.

TILI

Coconut Brown 411, Vb

Custom Vinyi Cork I lie 1005, '/g

ASPHALT TILE

Armstrong Asphalt Tile
has the good looks usually
found only in higher priced
floors, yet it's the lowest
cost of all Armstrong floors.
It can be used on any sub-
floor, even in the basement.
This floor comes in many
lovely colorings, in a va-
riety of smart designs. It is
extremely rugged and of-
fers easy-care advantages.

TILE

Parquet 9" x 9 ', 1 870

Parquet 6" x 12", 1801

6'x 9' room

9'x 12' room

12'x 1 8' room

L

18'x 24-' room

(Service Gouge)

14.00

27.00

54.00

108.00

(3/32" Gouge)

$ 20.00

39.00

77.00

1 54.00

( V«" Gouge)

$io.oo

19.00

39.00

77.00

(Service Gouge)

S13.00

25.00

49.00

99. OO

Prices of Armstrong do-it-yourself floors will vary sligtilly witti different sections of the country.
Ttiese ore intended to give you o good idea of the comparative costs of floors. Do not instoti
Linoleum Tile on basement floors or over grade-level concrete slobs in basementless houses.

Handy Tip for
do-it-yourselfers

Create a handsome parquet floor de-
sign with the 6" x 12" size in Ann-
strong Parquet Linoleum Tile. It's
easy. Dark squares are four tiles
deep, two tiles wide. Light colored
stripes in the design are one tile wide.

LIKE MAGICI After a busy day of
family activities, this room converts
in minutes to an elegant formal din-
ing room. The floor of Armstrong
Parquet Linoleum Tile is grease-
proof. A damp mop removes spilled
things without any efl:ort. An ideal
floor for a room where beauty and
practicality must go hand in hand.

LOOK AROUND

. . . for a double- purpose
day-in day-out room

Are you getting the maximum use out of every room in your house? If you have
a room that's in use only a fraction of the day, you have the makings of a good
double-purpose room. One of the requirements of a room like this is that it can
be changed from one use to another — quickly and easily. Special features built
right into the walls, such as a cupboard, TV set, hi-fi set, and bookcases, will make
it easy to change the room's purpose. You may have to make small structural
changes to accommodate "built-ins" but you'll find they're well worth the cost.
A room like this needs to be durably finished because it gets extra use. This applies
to furnishings and is particularly true of the floor. All Armstrong do-it-yotuself
floors stand up under hard wear and, when it comes to cleaning, they're delight-
fully easy to care for.

IDEAS IN THIS FAMILY ROOM -DINING ROOM

FLOOR— 6'' X 12" Armstrong Parquet Linoleum Tiles, Styles 1841 and 1843, laid end-
to-end, give room elegance for formal dining . . . have the durability needed for carefree
family living. • AVALL CABINETS — TV, radio-phonograph section can be easily
closed off — double sliding doors reveal or conceal bookshelves and china cabinets, de-
pending on use of room. • CABINET DOORS — covered with wallx^aper panels
give rich "carved" effect. • SIDE TABLE — folded up, it's only 9" deep — yet it pulls
out to make a full-size dining room table that will seat eight at dinner with ease.
• LAMPS — "Pogo stick" type, with tension springs at both ends^ — ^can be moved about
and set anywhere in room to create appropriate lighting effects, t CEILING — Armstrong
Full Random Cushiontone — keeps the room restfuUy quiet — decoratively painted without
lessening acoustical qualities.

12

Handy Tip for
do-it-yourselfers

To create ceiling "beams," first, nail
spacing blocks to one side of joist.
Then, nail finishing board to other
side of joist. Next, nail same-width
finishing board to spacer. Face im-
derside of joist with matching board.
Stain or paint to suit room colors.

Sketch shows converted garage in
relation to rest of house. Slab founda-
tion of garage was lower than sub-
floor in kitchen. Step was solution
and resulted in attracti\'e "sunken
room" effect. New landscaping
around garage helped blend its ex-
terior outline with rest of the house.

a a M

CONVERT

transform the garage
into a handsome family room

An attached garage offers quite an economical way to remodel for more space
because you have so much to begin with— a roof, \\'alls, and subfloor. Once you
break through the dividing wall, or have a builder do it for you, you're ready to
start finishing the interior of your new room. How can you keep the new room
from looking less like an afterthought and more like part of the original house?
There should be some bridge of harmony between the new and the old, and one
good way to unite both areas is through clever decorating. By putting down an
Armstrong floor in a design and color that blends with the decorative scheme of
the adjacent rooms, you lay the foundation for wonderful harmony throughout.
In the many Armstrong do-it-yourself floors, you'll easily find just the right design
and color to make your new room at home with tlie old.

IDEAS IN THIS FAMILY ROOM

FLOOR — Armstrong Excelon Tile, in the gay Spatter pattern (Style No. 737 in family
room, No. 735 in kitchen) — used right over old concrete floor of garage and over old
wood floor of kitchen- — helps unite kitchen and family room in decorative harmony.
• WINDONA^ IN FAMILY ROOM — insulated glass wall replaced original garage
doors. • BOOKCASE AND CABINETS— extending length of room — built right
onto garage wall— cabinets below hold TV set, toys, and games. • DIVIDERS — re-
semble playpen railings, they slide easfly on Armstrong Furniture Rests — push back into
slots in walls. • FAMILY ROOM RUG— is a woven Deltox Hug made by Armstrong.
These smart rugs wear wonderfully, cost as little as $20 for a 9'xl2'. • BEAMS —
roof joists are "built up" by framing with boards stained to look like solid beams.

14

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Handy Tip for
do-it-yourselfers

A ceiling material that looks hand-
some and also soaks up noise can be
put up over furring strips with a
stapling gun. It's Armstrong Cushion-
tone in easy-to-handle 12" x 12"
squares. Tongue-and-groove edges
simplify the job of fitting the squares
together. Hide cracks in old ceilings.

Sketch shows relation of breezeway
to kitchen and garage areas. Glass
walls were used to enclose breezeway
without destroying the outdoor view.

ENCLOSE

. . . make the breezeway
into a picnic spot that's
outdoors and indoors, too

Closing in a breezeway or a porch can give yon an area for year-ronnd indoor-
outdoor fun. Most of the costly work — roof, supporting beams, and floor slab —
has already been done. You can put up inexpensive walls to keep out bad weather.
( Here, glass walls were installed to retain out-of-doors atmosphere. ) Picnics can't
be rained out when you have a spot like this, and the children have an ideal place
to play during blustery winter days. Obviously, such a carefree haven calls for a
carefree Armstrong floor. Armstrong Excelon Tile or Armstrong Asphalt Tile can
be laid directly over the concrete slab and will stand up under the scuffing of active
youngsters. Neither floor will be harmed by foods or liquids that are likely to be
spilled. Once the walls go ujp and tlie floor goes down, the fun is ready to begin.

IDEAS IN THIS ENCLOSED BREEZEWAY

FLOOR — Armstrong Excelon Tile, Style No. 770 (with stripes of No. 777 in tlie kitchen),
laid on concrete floor of original breezeway. This floor is resistant to whatever might
be spilled here. • FIREPLACE — same type of stone as exterior walls — has built-in
wood storage and carving boards. • AAAINDOW VS^ALLS — an effective way to close
in a breezeway. • CEDAR TABLE AND YACHTING CHAIRS— maintain cas-
ual air, cost httle. • KITCHEN ENTRANCE — enlarged to make serving easier —
double sliding doors vanish into waUs.

16

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Baskef-Weave Design Ashlar Design

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lnterlocl< Design

Handy Tip for
do-it-yourselfers

Dozens oF striking floor designs can
be created with tlie 6" x 12" size ot
Armstrong Parquet Linoleum Tile.
Tliree are shown al)ove. They're easy
to put down in any style yon \\'ish.

View looking into bathroom, with
draperies and folding door opened.
This lo\ely one-room apartment has
ever)' con\enience. Kitchen is behind
the bed, at the left of the bathroom.

ADD ON \

. . . you can add any type
of room to your house — even
a complete, compact apartment

When you build a brand-new addition to a house, there's no limit to the type, size,
and shape of the room or rooms you can add. How much you pay for an addition
or for any remodeling project will depend on the nature and quality of the job.
One thing you can be completely sure of is that in Armstrong do-it-yourself floors,
you're getting the highest quality for the low price you pay. When building your
addition, you may want to have a builder do the major construction and utility
work for you. Then, you can finish the interior yourself. Just as Armstrong makes
floors which are the easiest of all for do-it-yourselfers to put down, Armstrong also
makes many kinds of building materials, including acoustical ceilings which you
can put up quickly and easily yourself.

IDEAS IN THIS ONE- ROOM APARTMENT

FLOOR — Armstrong Parquet Linoleum Tile in a smart "Chevron" design using 6" x 12"
tiles, Style No. 1840. This exclusive tile shape permits many interesting designs. Stain-
resistant, cleans easily. • BUILT- INS— desk, chest, and bookshelves make a space-
saving unit. • 4 -POSTER BED — placed so that kitchen and bath are accessible from
one side of bed and living room from the other. • DRAPERIES — hide the bed by day.
• KITCHEN AND BATH — concealed by accordion-type doors — the "Parquet" floor
runs through the entire apartment. One continuous floor surface makes for fast, easy
cleaning. • CEILING — Armstrong Textured Cushiontone . . . keeps rooms restfully quiet,
can be put up easily with nails or staples.

18

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You greatly reduce the cost of any remodeling job
when you do some of the work yourself. When
you put down one of the Armstrong do-it-yourself
floors, like the Armstrong Excelon Tile in this
basement, you pay a very low price to begin with,
and you save on installation costs. Even more im-
portant, you don't need to be an expert to get
proud results.

Whether you do the remodeling work yourself, or
have a builder help you, don't forget that banks
are glad to help finance home improvement proj-
ects. You can go right ahead and remodel for the
extra space you need and stretch out your pay-
ments over a long period of time.
You can see the many lovely designs and colors
in Armstrong do-it-yourself floors in flooring
stores, tile supermarkets, and at lumber dealers
all over the country. They're Hsted in the Yellow-
Pages of your telephone directory.
If you wish more information about the floors
and rooms in this book, or if you have any ques-
tions about what colors will go best with your new
Armstrong floors, write to: Armstrong Cork Com-
pany, Department ELS, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Armstrong

CORK CO rv1 PA MV

BUREAU OF INTERIOR DECORATION, LANCASTER, PA.

F-1137 958 A

PRINTED IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA